If you’ve ever had the flu, you remember the fever, aches, cough, and days spent under the covers instead of at work, school, or out with friends. But there is a way to at least make it less bearable if you can't escape the flu again.
Sometimes even when you get a flu shot, practice good hand hygiene, and stay away from others who are sick, you still get the flu. Though there's no flu treatment that will totally cure the illness, there are flu medications called antivirals that can make your flu experience less unpleasant if you take them in time.
A November 2013 study in the journal Pediatrics found that kids especially can benefit from prompt treatment with antiviral medications, especially those who are very sick. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20,000 kids under the age of 5 are hospitalized each year because of the flu, and both healthy kids and those with weaker immune systems can be hit hard by the flu.
Here's what you need to know about this flu treatment:
What are antiviral drugs? Antivirals are medications that help fight flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They're available only with a prescription from a health care professional. Antiviral drugs work against viruses; they don't fight bacteria like antibiotics do. The two antivirals used as flu treatments are oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).
How do antivirals help? "Antivirals help fight the flu by binding to an enzyme in the virus so the infectious parts of the virus, called virions, cannot be released,” explained Carol Baker, MD, executive director of the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and a professor of pediatrics, molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. By doing this, antivirals stop the flu virus from multiplying and spreading throughout the body, she said.
Why are antivirals prescribed? Doctors who suspect -- or know for sure -- that someone has the flu may prescribe an antiviral flu medication for a few different reasons. For one, antivirals can shorten the duration of the flu by one or two days. “What people notice when they take an antiviral drug for flu treatment is they feel better faster,” said Susan Rehm, MD, an infectious disease specialist and medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
“Antivirals may also be prescribed to help prevent the spread of flu," Dr. Rehm said. "For example, if someone in a closed population, such as a nursing home or household with young children, comes down with the flu, a health care professional may prescribe antivirals to other uninfected members of the household or nursing home to prevent the flu."
When should you take antivirals so they are most effective as a flu treatment? “Antivirals for flu treatment should be given within the first 48 hours of symptoms,” Baker said. The flu is fairly easy to spot because of the high fever and extreme illness when it first sets in. “You can usually tell it isn’t just a cold," Baker said. "If you have any doubt, however, ask your doctor.” She added that antivirals can also be prescribed on the third or fourth day of flu symptoms if the goal is to prevent spreading the flu to others. “Plus, antivirals may still work to shorten illness at this point,” she said.
Who can take antivirals for flu treatment? “Any age person, even young infants, can take Tamiflu,” Baker said. “However, Relenza, which requires the person to inhale the medication, is usually only given to adults and children age 6 and above.”
How do antiviral medications help prevent flu complications? “Antivirals prevent flu complications by killing the virus so that the effect on the body is less,” Baker said. Antiviral flu medications can prevent the most serious flu complications, like pneumonia. And for people with high-risk medical conditions, antiviral flu treatment can make the difference between a hospital stay and a milder case of the flu.
What are the side effects of antiviral flu treatments? Antivirals have may have side effects. “Some people get nauseated, but that seems to be quite unusual," Rehm said. "In most cases, antivirals are well tolerated.”
Are antivirals the best method of flu treatment? “The most effective thing is to prevent the flu in the first place by getting a flu vaccine as soon as it is available,” Baker said. “Vaccination lasts throughout the whole season." lu season in the United States usually starts in October, can last into May, and most often peaks in January and February. The CDC recommends getting a flu shot as soon as the vaccine is available, as it takes about two weeks to become effective in your body.
Photo credit: AP Photo
Last Updated: 11/26/2013